Tenerife with Kids: 5 Activities for Different Ages

A morning at Las Vistas can end as soon as sand play loses its appeal, while Siam Park asks for a much bigger share of the day. Choose your Tenerife outings around what your children enjoy and how long they want to stay, rather than trying to fit the island’s largest attractions into every visit. These five choices range from a flexible beach break to hands-on science and full-scale parks.

Activities by age and location

Criterion	Las Vistas beach	Lago Martiánez	Museum of Science and the Cosmos	Siam Park	Loro Parque
Family visit, approximate	Flexible	2–4 hours	1½–2 hours, permanent exhibits	5–7 hours	4–6 hours
Drive from Plaza de la Iglesia, Los Cristianos	about 1.5 kmBest	about 105 km	about 78 km	about 3.5 km	about 73 km
Drive from Plaza del Charco, Puerto de la Cruz	about 106 km	about 1.3 kmBest	about 31 km	about 104 km	about 3.2 km

Tenerife suits a first visit with children because you can choose very different kinds of outing. Las Vistas gives younger children sand play without a fixed finish; Lago Martiánez suits families who want pool time rather than slides. The Museum of Science and the Cosmos rewards children who like experiments, with adults helping younger readers. Siam Park is the water-ride choice, while Loro Parque suits an interest in animal exhibits and performances.

The driving distances start at the two named town-centre squares, not at the previous attraction. Choosing something nearby leaves more of the day for the visit, especially when children tire after a journey. The entries run from flexible beach time to larger park visits. They are alternatives, not stops on one route.

The museum is the indoor choice for rain. Beach, pool and outdoor park time depend more on the weather: favour cooler hours and shorter outdoor visits in peak heat. For the larger parks, children’s stamina matters as much as their age or interests.

1. Las Vistas beach

Las Vistas gives children room to build sandcastles, dig and take swimming breaks, with an easy return to Los Cristianos when they have had enough. Choose it when you want to leave whenever attention wanes, rather than commit to a large attraction. A short beach visit can be the whole outing, not something to squeeze between ticketed activities.

Approach along the promenade from Los Cristianos. A step-free route leads onto the beach, with ramps and fixed and roll-out walkways across the sand. These help when bringing a pushchair, so keep to the walkways rather than trying to push through loose sand.

Outdoor showers let you rinse off before returning to town. Bring what you need for sand play and swimming, and favour cooler hours in hot weather so a flexible break stays comfortable for younger children.

2. Lago Martiánez

Lago Martiánez offers swimming in a designed seafront setting, with a smaller, shallower pool specifically for children. Choose it for pool time rather than a slide-led water park. Younger children can focus on the children’s pool, while families who enjoy swimming can make a longer visit with breaks beside the water.

Its central Puerto de la Cruz location makes it an easy northern choice without a cross-island outing. Allow about 2–4 hours for swimming and breaks. Bring swimwear and towels, and leave time for changing rather than treating arrival as the start of swimming. Arriving near opening is a useful way to enjoy more of the visit before the hottest part of the day.

Ordinary admission, over 10

€7

Children aged 4–10

€4

Included with each ticket

Sun lounger

Daily hours, 1 July–30 September

10:00–19:00

Daily hours, rest of year

10:00–18:00

Buy tickets at the box office on the day: advance reservations are not possible. That suits a family deciding whether it feels like a swimming day, but you still need to arrive ready to change and settle in. Leave room for rest as well as swimming, particularly with younger children.

3. Museum of Science and the Cosmos

The Museum of Science and the Cosmos in San Cristóbal de La Laguna turns science into things children can try, with meteorites and optical illusions among the subjects to explore. Choose it for children who like experimenting, especially on a rainy day. It is a change of pace from swimming and outdoor parks, and the approach from Puerto de la Cruz is shorter than from Los Cristianos.

Allow about 1½–2 hours for the permanent exhibits, leaving children time at the displays that catch their interest rather than trying to cover every exhibit. Adults can help younger readers understand the instructions and talk through what happens. That makes the visit more rewarding than simply moving from one experiment to the next.

General adult admission

€5

Children under 8

Free

Optional planetarium admission

€1, separate from museum admission

Public-holiday gallery hours

10:00–17:00

The optional planetarium session is a different experience from exploring the permanent exhibits. Ordinary permanent-exhibition entry has no stated advance-reservation requirement, but specific activities and school visits have their own reservation arrangements. For a family visit, concentrate first on the hands-on exhibits and decide whether you also want the planetarium.

4. Siam Park

Siam Park in Costa Adeje suits children who want water rides, but the experience depends on which parts of the park they can use. The Lost City’s children’s play areas offer a different day from the larger slides, and Mai Thai River gives families another water-based option. Tower of Power is the concrete choice for older children seeking a freefall slide.

Choose areas to suit each child rather than promising the same rides to everyone. Mixed-age families may split their attention between children’s play and bigger slides. Both age and height matter, so a child’s enthusiasm alone does not settle which rides they can use.

Allow about 5–7 hours, with room for queues, the wave pool and breaks, rather than an attempt to ride everything. Arrive near opening and bring swimwear and a towel. It is a nearby outing from Los Cristianos, while from Puerto de la Cruz, the journey takes a larger share of the day. In winter, aim for the shorter end of that visit range to fit the opening hours.

Standard admission, ages 12 and over

€44

Children aged 3–11

€32; age checked at entry

Children aged 0–2

Free

Daily summer hours, 1 May–29 October

10:00–18:00

Daily winter hours, 30 October–30 April

10:00–17:00

The park opens every day of the year. Standard day tickets are available online without a stated requirement for an advance reservation. Allow for rest as well as rides, particularly when children have already spent part of the morning travelling.

5. Loro Parque

Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz is the animal-focused choice, with exhibits and sea-lion performances. These are captive animals and staged performances, so decide whether that kind of visit fits your family’s preferences before choosing it. For children interested in animals, select the exhibits they most want to see rather than making every part of the park a goal.

Allow about 4–6 hours, starting near opening and taking breaks, especially with younger children. A nearby visit from Puerto de la Cruz leaves more energy for the park, while travelling from Los Cristianos makes it a longer outing. If children tire, finishing after their priority exhibits can be more enjoyable than trying to complete everything.

Loro Parque opens every day of the year. You can buy ordinary admission at the ticket office on the day, although advance purchase is recommended. The main visitor route is accessible with a pushchair, which can help younger children rest between exhibits without ending the visit immediately.

You can also hire a pushchair for €5 per day plus a refundable deposit. Reserve the hire three days in advance by calling +34 922 373 841, extension 356 or 357. Arrange this separately from admission if you want to leave your own pushchair behind.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, opening hours, services, closures, and key figures.

• Puerto de la Cruz City Council — fares and charges
• Lago Martiánez — opening hours
• Lago Martiánez — service
• Siam Park — fares and charges
• Siam Park — opening hours
• Siam Park — closures
• Siam Park — service
• Mai Thai River
• Tower of Power – Freefall Water Slide
• Siam Night – ¡Especial de noche de verano de Siam Park!
• Arona City Council — service
• Patronato Municipal de Turismo del Ayuntamiento de Arona — service
• Loro Parque — opening hours
• Loro Parque — closures
• Loro Parque — service
• Organismo Autónomo de Museos y Centros de Tenerife — fares and charges
• Museos de Tenerife — service